Nail Envy

Before: Although my nails look cosmetically fine,
they often chipped and did not grow very well

Hey guys, 

Today I wanted to tell you all about the new strenghtener I have been using to help maintain my nail growth. I always try to have presentable nails, however my nails are quite weak and start to split and chip as they grow. I use gloves when washing up, and try to stay avoid using my nails to open things but through day to day tasks always find my nails begin to break.

Nails done by Nilpa Keshwala using
Artistic Color Gloss colours
Bride and Rosegold

Very recently I started to have a gel polish (brand was Artistic Color gloss) done by the talented Nilpa Keshwala (based in Luton) to help maintain the shape and length of my nails. I decided to give gels a go so I could grow them out longer and shape them a little differently. I got them done every 2-3 weeks for a few months, and I could not believe how much they were protecting my nails and maintaing the shape and length. 

I realise it doesn’t appeal to everyone to get nails professionally done often simply because of the time and cost factor, for me doing my own nails gives me downtime on a Sunday evening. I missed doing them myself so once they had grown out to how I wanted them from the gel treatments I opted to try a strengthener. 

I have used strengtheners in the past, but never found one that lives up to expectations. Many reccommended the OPI Nail Envy,  I did some research and decided to give it a go with the hope I would be able to maintain the shape and length I gained from Nilpa doing my nails. 

As instructed on the box I used two coats of the Nail Envy, then applied my desired nail varnish and topcoat. Every other day I added a coat of Nail Envy on top of the nail varnish, on day 7 I remove all of my nail varnish and start again. I started using the OPI Nail Envy in the first week of December, now I am going into my 6th week of use and my nails are still in great shape and of a good length. I have had a few minor mishaps, but on a usual basis my nails would have all broken within the space of two weeks at a maximum. 

I have grown my nails into more of an almond shape
and managed to maintain a longer length without
any major breaks

The pros are that my nail varnish lasts a lot longer, as obviously applying the nail envy on top of it continues to protect it from chipping, so usually I am chip free for the whole week. Win-Win. The product is also very inexpensive to buy for the quality. 

The con for me is that if you are using a topcoat with a matte of gel shine finish upon reapplying the Nail Envy on top they are dulled. I have ended up then reapplying another topcoat on top of the Nail Envy every other day. This can be a bit of a chore, and I have ended up using double the topcoat so can be costly in the long run. This might not be as big of a deal if you aren’t too bothered about having a DIY salon mani finish (but I am a bit OCD about it). 

My nails have really have become envious. I have always had people ask about my nails, but now I finally have them at the desired length and shape I have longed for. I bought Nail Envy from Amazon (£9.49) , but as its an OPI product it is available almost anywhere. 

How do you maintain your nails?